176-10036-10142 | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

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IDENTIFICATION FORM
AGENCY : NARA
RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10142
RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

FROM :
TO:
TITLE : CIA Information Report
DATE : 9/24/1963
PAGES YY.
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 200: Vietnam,9/22/63-10/6/63, CIA

Reports. Box 2

ALE hard ~iel (e:

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Vv by ; . _
Laws, Tittle 18, U.S.C Secs

This. material contains information effecting the Nationo! Cefense of the United Stal ithin hi
793 and 794, he transmission ar revelation of which in any manner to an uaauthor: ted person is Ore ee be tae Erpona

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(When Filled In) : NO FORESY POSE /N0 BISSES ABROAD BACKGROUND USE ONLY

COUNTRY SOUTH VIETNAM | “ REPORT NO. TDCS DB-3/656,830 -

SUBJECT HUYNH VAN LANG COUP MOVE TIMING “DATE DISTR. 24 seetemBer 1963
L : PRECEDENCE PRIORITY

pateor 24 septemBeR 1963 , REFERENCES 25

INFO. . m 25634

PLACE = VIETNAM, SAIGON (24 sertemBer 1963)

DATE ACQ.

APPRAISAL 5 FIELD REPORT NO. 969

THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.

SOURCE a CLOSE associATE (c) OF HUYNH VAN LANG, FROM LANG.

APPRAISAL! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS INDICATING THAT A COUP IS BEING PLANNED AND
SOME OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN AGREES WITH THAT IN OTHER REPORTS. CLAIMS OF
SUPPORT INDICATED HEREIN CANNOT BE ACCURATELY APPRAISED AT THIS TIME s NOR CAN
— THE ACTUAL TIMING OF THE COUP,

1, SUMMARY. HUYNH VAN LANG, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT
SAIGON UNIVERSITY, SAID ON 24 AUGUST 1963 THAT HIS COUP GROUP
WAS GOING TO LAUNCH A COUP BEFORE 5 OCTOBER AND PROBABLY ON 26
OR 28 SEPTEMBER BECAUSE TROOPS WILL BE IN SAIGON AT THAT TIME.
THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE NOW INCLUDES GENERALS TRAN THIEN
KHIEM, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE JOINT GENERAL STAFF, NGUYEN KHANH,
COMMANDING GENERAL OF I! CORPS, AND BUONG VAN MINH, MILITARY ADVISOR
TO THE PRESIDENT. EVERY EFFORT 1S BEING TAKEN TO REDUCE THE
POSSIBILITY OF EXTENSIVE BLOODSHED. LANG CLAIMS YO HAVE.SIM DIVISIONS”

Group 1
facluded from automans
downgrading and
declonificotion

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meGRGTNG USE ONLY
a [nT [TT Care Pa usta oct]

FORM 1K OBSOLETE PREVIOUS EDITIONS. _ 20

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(When Filled in)

PLUS AIRBORNE, ARINE, AND ARMOR ELEMENTS READY TO PARTICIPATE 11
THE COUP, BRIGADIER GENERAL DO CAO TRI IS ALSO WORKING WITH THE
GROUF,
2, LANG MAGE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS OM THE STATUS OF THE COUP: -

A, If 18 TO BE INITIATED BEFORE 5 OCTOBER, POSSIBLY ON 26
OR 28 SEPTEMBER. TROOPS WILL BE BROUGHT INTO SAIGON ON 26. SEPTEMBER
FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION, MILITARY UNITS WILL REHEARSE
ON 28 SEPTEMBER FOR THE 26 OCTOBER NATIONAL DAY PARADE, AND THESE
TROOPS WILL REMAIN UNTIL 5 OCTOBER, GENERAL KHIEM WAS TRYING TO
ARRANGE THAT HE TROOPS BROUGHT TO SAIGON WOULD BE THOSE WHO WOULD
SUPPORT A COUP, |

B.. NO COUF HAS BEEN INITIATED AS YET BECAUSE EVERY EFFORT
IS BEING TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT IT BE RELATIVELY BLOODLESS.
LONE ATTEMPT WAS CANCELLED AT THE POINT OF EXECUTION BECAUSE. IT
WAS THOUGHT THAT, FURTHER PREPARATION WOULD PREVENT BLOODSHED.

C. A MAJOR PROBLEM IS THE LACK OF SUITABLE EXPLOSIVES TO
BLAST A CONCRETE BUNKER WHERE PRESIDENT DIEM 1S EXPECTED TO HIDE.
THE OLY OPEXING TO THE BUNKER, OTHER THAN A HEAVY DOOR, 1S THE
VENTILATION SYSTEM AND THE COUP GROUP HESITATES TO USE FLAME
THROWERS OR PO1SON GAS BECAUSE THEY PREFER TO TAKE DIEM ALIVE.

D. THE REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE NOW INCLUDES LANG AND GENERALS
KHIEM, KHANH, AND DUONG VAN MINH. GENERAL TRI HAS AGREED TO JOIN

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TDCSDB- 3/656 ,830

(When Filied In)

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THE COUP ATTEMPT. COLONEL BUI DINH DAM, SEVENTH DIVISION COMMANDER,
1S BELIEVED READY 70 SUPPORT THE COUP BUT HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED.
COLONEL HGUYEN HUU IJANH, CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE 1V CORPS, WHO IS A
COUF GROUP MEMBER, BELIEVES THAT BRIGADIER GENERAL HUYNH VAN
CAO. 1% CORPS COMMANDER, WOULD SUPPORT THE COUP SUY OTHER GROUP
MEMBERS ARE NOY COVER WCED, | |

cE. GUNERLL, KHIEEM WILL COMMAND THE COUP FORCES. MAJOR LAM-
TRANG THO, FORMER SECOND ARMOR SQUADRON COMMANDER AND ‘NOW WITH THE
JOINT GENERAL STAFF, WILL COMMAND ARMOR UNITS, INCLUDING SOME ELEMENTS
OF fi! OLG SQUAURON PLUS THE FIRST TANK COMPANY AND THE FIFTH
MECHANIZED RIFLE COMPANY OF THE FIRST ARMOR SQUADRON. .

F.  FYREE, BATTALIONS OF THE AIRBORNE BRIGADE UNDER A MAJOR.
WILL JON ARMOR UNITS IN THE SHOCK FORCE.
9. TNE THIRD MARINE BATTALION UNDER ‘CAPTAIN MAHVIET BANG

WILL SERVE, AS A BLOCKING FORCE TO PREVENT REINFORCEMENT OF THE
PRESVOE Tr PAL PALACE BY THE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD.
| YEU ANY COLONAL PHAM NGOC THAO, STRATEGIC HAMLET
INSPECTOR FUR CO DINK NHU, WILL NOT COMMAND THE SHOCK TROOPS BUT
WILL StAVE sy iM OGRTANT MILITARY FUNCTION DURING THE COUP.
1. LIEUTENANT COLONEL NGUYEN DINH PHAT, KIEN PHONG PROVINCE
CHIEF, WILL USE *Q SAIGON AND ALSO HAVE AN IMPORTANT

ROLE.

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5 E C R E T. : “a prema wager] Trnenae xen npatemmanr eng cones


“ss ante Fe at ep een ee ee

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(When Filled Imp a BACKERGUR USE CHLY

J. MAJOR NGUYEN VAN TU, COMMANDER OF THE EIGHTH REGIMENT,

FIFTH DIVISION, WILi SUPPORT THE COUP WITH HIS FORCES. ALSO INVOLVED
IS THE FIFTH RECONNAISSANCE COMPANY OF THE FIFTH DIVISION.

K. GENERAL KHANH WILL COMMANDSIX DIVISIONS, ASSISTED BY
GENERAL TRI. THESE DIVISIONS INCLUDE THE FIRST, SECOND, TWENTY~
SECOND, TWENTY- FIFTH, TWENTY-THIRD, AND’ THE NINTH, ACCORDING TO
KHANH, COLONEL BU! DZINH, NINTH DIVISION COMMANBER, 1S NOT
IN AGREEMENT WITH HIM. BUT WILL SUPPORT HIM IN THE COUP.

L. TIMING FOR THE COUP WILL PROBABLY BE 199 HOURS , No
HOURS, “OR 2500 | HOURS, SO THAT FAVORABLE UNITS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
GUARD WILL BE ON DUTY. THESE HOURS ALSO FALL BETWEEN THE NORMAL
HOURS FOR CHANGING THE GUARD. |

M. ARRIVAL OF HIGH-LEVEL.UNITED STATES DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

- OFFICIALS DISCOURAGED THE COUP GROUP WHICH IS RELUCTANT TO PROCEED WITH
THEM PRESENT IN SAIGON. THE.GROUP HAS EVEN SPECULATED THE ARRIVAL
OF THESE INDIVIDUALS MIGHT SIGNIFY THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS
PREPARING A COUP OF ITS OWN; ARTICLES IN THE VIETNAM PRESS WERE
CITED AS EVIDENCE OF THIS POSSIBILITY. .
3. FIELD DISSEM, STATE (AMBASSADOR LODGE) USMACV (GENERAL
HARKINS) CINCPAC PACAF ARPAC PACFLT.

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Pers h TASES ARM BACKERGUAT USE HETY


